How To Set Up An Online Sales Funnel

Like, Follow and Share:

How To Set Up An Online Sales Funnel

An online sales funnel is the process to convert your website visitors into buyers. If you set up your sales funnel correctly, it will also build a list of potential customers – and customers, so that you can sell different products, sell more products and /or sell more often.

The sales funnel process is designed to move website visitors through a series of steps and web pages, from becoming aware of your product (or brand) to becoming a lead, a sales prospect and finally making a purchase decision and become a customer.

Imagine that the sales funnel looks like the image here above. At the top, you have lots of visitors coming to your website, and some will be interested enough to take the next step in the funnel and become leads.

With every step, there will be fewer and fewer people left in the funnel, and only a few of them will actually reach the end of the funnel and become customers.

However, the wonderful thing with online sales funnels is that you only have to do the work and set them up once, then you can have them working for you 24/7, even when you sleep!

So what do you need to set up an automated sales funnel?

What you need to set up an automated online sales funnel

To set up an effective online sales funnel, you must first of all analyse and know your target audience very well. Otherwise, the sales funnel won’t work.

The components and pages you need to set up a simple sales funnel are:

Lead magnet
Lead capture page (and / or sign up forms on your website)
Thank you page
Autoresponder system with 5-10 pre-written email follow-ups
Sales page (with order form)

1) Lead Magnet

When you start building a sales funnel, you must know and understand your target market’s problems and desires on a deeper level.

Then you create an irresistible lead magnet for them. Offer them a quick solution to an urgent problem they have – or an easy step towards a result they want.

The lead magnet is the “bribe” you offer your prospects for free, in exchange for their email address – and perhaps also their name.

Most people don’t buy products or services online the very first time they are exposed to them – unless they know the seller and / or the product since before.

Therefore, you want their contact information to build a list of likeminded individuals – with similar interests, problems and desires, so that you can continue to communicate and engage with them – with the right message and content.

The Lead Magnet can be a checklist, a report, a coupon, a tool, it can also be a video presentation, a webinar or a training.

>> To learn more about Lead Magnets and how to create them click here => Lead Magnet Guide

2) Lead Capture Page

When you have created your Lead Magnet, your next step is to design and build a lead capture page.

The purpose of the capture page is to convert your traffic – aka visitors – into email subscribers.

A lead capture page is basically just a headline and an opt-in form. A capture page can also have an image, some additional text and some bullet points.

But the most important component of a capture page is an attention grabbing headline.

In general, you have only about 3 seconds to grab your prospect’s attention. Therefore, you have to make sure that your headline’s message speaks directly to your prospects, so that they enter their name and email in exchange for the lead magnet – without hesitation.

When your prospects enter their email address in the opt-in form and click the submit button, they will arrive to the next page in the funnel.

>> Click here for FREE headline templates => Attention Grabbing Headlines

3) Thank You Page

The next page they arrive to after they opt-in, can be just a Thank You page, saying: “Thank you for your interest in “XYZ”. The “XXX” (“Lead Magnet”) that you requested is now on its way to your inbox”.

You can also have a download link or give access to your lead magnet on this page, or otherwise only deliver it to their inbox – that’s a choice you have to make.

Option: Thank You Page with a Front-end offer

Since you have their attention at this point, I’d recommend you to take advantage of this step in the funnel – and offer another product in addition to the free “bribe” they have opted in for.

This “another product” has to be congruent with your bribe and the solution (or result) they want.

You can offer them a so called front-end offer. This is a low-cost offer of approx. $1-$7 (depending on what you sell it can also be more).

Since your prospects have just “met” you online, most of them are not ready to buy anything expensive at this point.

But this low-cost offer will give you some cash flow and contribute to pay for the advertising costs you may have. This is called a self liquidating lead generation offer.

4) Autoresponder – Email marketing system

To collect your leads and their contact information automatically you use an autoresponder system, like e.g. Aweber (SendLane, ConvertKit, GetResponse are other examples).

When you do that, then you have the possibility to send them a sequence of follow-up emails, with a link inside to your product’s sales page.

In these emails you explain your solution (your product or service) in more detail.

Focus on the BENEFITS. Tell them:

how it can make their lives easier
how it can help them save money
how it can make them money
how it can help them lose weight
how it can make them look younger
…or whatever your product or service can do!

You should also send them testimonials and social proof. Show and tell them that other people have benefited from your product and in what way.

This will make them trust you, and it will also increase their desire for your product.

After this follow-up sequence, you keep sending them valuable advice, information and tips on specific topics that interests them. And now and then, you can also offer them other congruent products, tools and services that you think could be useful and interesting for them.

Through this communication, you build a relationship with them so that they feel like they know you and can trust you.

Lack of trust is often the reason why people don’t buy from “strangers” online. Therefore, it’s necessary to have a way to engage with and build trust with your prospects. Emails work very well for this.

Another super effective tool to communicate with potential customers (and to build your list) is Chatbot for Facebook Messenger.

>> This Chatbot can be used for any website and requires no coding => Chatbot

5) Targeted traffic to your funnel

To get the process going, you’ve got to have lots of traffic (= visitors) exposed to your lead capture page – or sign-up forms on your website – and also to your social media posts with links to your capture page.

You don’t want just any traffic, you want targeted traffic. That is, you want visitors who are already INTERESTED in what you offer.

Otherwise, they won’t opt-in, and even if they do, they are most likely not going to buy anything.

Traffic sources:

You can get free traffic to your website, blog, social media posts and capture pages from organic searches on Google, Forums, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest etc (apply keywords and SEO).

And you can use paid traffic, by advertising on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Google, Solo Ads etc.

>> To learn more about targeted traffic on Facebook => Click here

>> To learn more about Solo Ads => Click here

Re-cap of how to set up an automated online sales funnel

The goal of your sales funnel is to build your list and convert prospects to customers.

These are the components and pages you need to set up your first simple automated sales funnel:

Lead magnet
Lead capture page (and / or sign up forms on you website)
Thank you page
Autoresponder system with 5-10 pre-written email follow-ups
Sales page (with order form)

When you start out, you only need 1 lead magnet, 1 low-cost offer and 1 core offer.

When you have this in place, you can add up-sells and down-sells before – or after – the Thank You page to maximise sales.

In your email follow up series you’ll also want to add a back-end offer and profit maximisers. This is where the “big” money can be made.

To offer products of different value and price range is called a “value ladder” or an ascension funnel.

To retain your customers, you map out your business’ value ladder, with products and services that can enhance their lives and solve their problems as they grow with you.

Now it’s time for you to set up your first online sales funnel!

If you want to learn more about how to set up high converting sales funnels, with up-sells, down-sells, back end offers and profit maximisers, click here:

=> Online Marketing Training To Make Money From Home

The training you’ll get access to will teach you everything you need to know about online marketing, sales funnels and value ladders, and you can use it for any kind of business and product.

If you’ve found value, LIKE and share this post!!

And I’d love to know if this article has helped YOU to set up your first sales funnel or create your first lead magnet…. Please share a link to your capture page or lead magnet in the comment section!!